


Chains of Memories

by star54kar



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Character Study, Game: Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Game: Kingdom Hearts II, Gen, Missing Scene, Pre-Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22041127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star54kar/pseuds/star54kar
Summary: In the immediate aftermath of her creation, Naminé's conflicted feelings about Kairi, Sora, and Riku shape the path she travels when she is found by the Organization.
Relationships: Kairi & Naminé (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9
Collections: Kingdom Hearts Holiday Gift Exchange





	Chains of Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZScalantian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZScalantian/gifts).



> Written for ZScalantian for the Kingdom Hearts Holiday Gift Exchange. Thank you for your prompts. You said you liked character studies, and missing scenes and I was really inspired to explore my personal head canon regarding Naminé's evolution as a character. I sincerely hope that you enjoy and that you had a Happy Holiday!

_A scattered dream that’s like a far off memory…_

In the very instant of her creation, Naminé was haunted by the certain knowledge that she shouldn’t exist and yet somehow she did. It was extremely disconcerting in the moment that Naminé first became aware, springing fully formed into existence from nothing. Memories of another life, another existence, were all that she knew and yet none of them truly belonged to her. 

The memories, the experiences, the bonds of friendship that Naminé longed for with a desperation deep within her soul were never meant to be hers because all of them belonged to _Kairi_ . Sora and Riku were _Kairi’s_ friends and yet Naminé longed for their companionship. Her heart sprung into existence forever bound to two boys whom she would never even know and their absence hurt.

“Well, what have we here?”

Naminé looked up at the man who had spoken. He was tall with wavy pink hair that fell to his shoulders and blue eyes. He was handsome, but had a slightly menacing air about him that made Naminé feel somewhat unsettled.

“You’re connected to the Keyblade wielder’s heart,” said the man. “I can sense it.”

Naminé shook her head. “Not really,” she replied bitterly. “Kairi is connected to Sora. My connection doesn’t really belong to me.”

“But you wish it does,” said the man.

“Yes,” Naminé replied. “More than anything.”

The man smiled, “You have the power within you to reshape that connection. All you need to do is find a way to channel it. I also have business to attend to with the Keyblade wielder. Come with me and I can help you.”

Despite the uneasy feeling she got from the man, Naminé desperately wanted her connection to Sora to be real, to be her own, and if this man could help her to make it happen…

Mind made up, Naminé smiled at the man and asked, “Where are we going?”

“To my base of operations called Castle Oblivion. It is a place where to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. Once there, your power will be concentrated and as soon as the keyblade wielder arrives, you can reshape the connection so that you will be the one he holds most dear in his heart.”

The thought of being the most dear to Sora warmed Naminé’s heart in a way that she hadn’t felt since her creation and she smiled. “Thank you, I’m Naminé.”

The man extended his hand to her and she took it so that he could begin to guide her to their destination. “You may call me Marluxia, and believe me, the pleasure is all mine.”

  
  
  


_A far off memory that’s like a scattered dream..._

She didn’t know why she had these powers and deep in her heart, Naminé knew that what she was doing was wrong. It was a lot easier for her to use her powers than it had been when she first arrived at the castle now that she had finally figured out the most effective way of using them. Once she’d realized that her drawings were the catalyst, it was a lot easier for her to draw Sora to the castle and to reshape Sora’s memories of Kairi into memories of Naminé. She felt a little bad about it, but she also couldn’t deny how good it felt to gradually replace Kairi in Sora’s heart until his memory of her faded away to nothing. It was a web of lies, but they were lies that eventually would become Sora’s truth. 

Regardless of how wonderful it felt to get what she desired, Naminé quickly realized that coming here was a mistake. She should have trusted her instincts that something wasn’t quite right with Marluxia instead of allowing him to tempt her with his honeyed words. By the time she realized that she was nothing more than his prisoner and a pawn, it was far too late for her to stop. Now that Marluxia knew the extent of the power she held, he became violent, locked her in her room, and threatened to keep her locked away forever unless she continued to manipulate Sora. The worst part of it was that although Naminé had no desire to hurt Sora, ultimately, she still desired to be the person who was most dear in his heart and the only way to ensure that was to continue using her powers.

She felt a lot less guilty about manipulating the replica of Riku. Despite his protests, he wasn’t the real Riku and aside from his copied memories he was more or less a blank slate. It was very easy for Naminé to copy the same fake memories that she had already implanted in Sora into the replica. Regardless of the replica being a replica and not the actual person, it was validating to have the two boys that she desperately longed to have at her side since the moment of her creation fighting over who would have the right to protect her. It was a fake promise, but both of them held it so dearly to their hearts that neither one of them could think of nothing else but her.

It was a beautiful dream that came at a horrible price. She was at war with herself, caught between her desire to be safe, protected, and by Sora and Riku’s side forever and the realization that the more she manipulated Sora’s memories the more she was destroying part of someone that she cared for more than words could express. Naminé didn’t even know how to stop at this point because she was terrified of all of the Organization members that held her captive in the castle. She hadn’t met all of them, but Larxene delighted in being cruel, Vexen was chillingly fixated on his experiments on the Riku replica... but who knew what kind of cold-bloodedness he was truly capable of if he set his mind to it, and Axel had a callous demeanor about him and his mysterious, self serving motives made it very difficult for Naminé to read his true intentions. Nevertheless, once Axel gave her an opportunity to try and minimize the damage she knew that she was causing to Sora, Naminé took it gratefully and ran.

It hurt facing Sora and telling him the truth. It hurt to admit that his memories and feelings for her were a lie that she had made up. It hurt to admit that everything she wanted from him really belonged to Kairi. Naminé had stolen Kairi’s place in Sora’s heart, but just enough of her remained to be his guiding light, even if Sora had no idea who Kairi was or why she was so important to him. Worst of all, it hurt to know that Larxene of all people was right. Naminé really was a manipulative witch who had done awful things to people she cared about.

The damage she had done to Sora because of her selfish desires was unconscionable. She had to make it right. Still, it cut her like a knife when Sora asked her to, “Make me like I was.” 

It was unreasonable of her to hope that Sora would want to keep the false memories she’d implanted in him and yet...she had anyway. But then when Sora made her a promise that when he woke up that they would be friends for real, Naminé’s heart soared higher than it ever had when she was manipulating his mind. This was real. A real promise. A real connection. A real friendship. Despite everything that she had done to harm him, Sora offered her the one thing that she truly desired in all of this, somewhere to belong.

  
  
  


_I want to line the pieces up..._

  
  


Naminé joined forces with the real Riku and with Diz in order to keep Sora safe while she reconnected the chains of his memories, but there were some unexpected complications. Some of Sora’s memories had been siphoned off into his Nobody, and his memories of Kairi had made their way into another replica. Unfortunately, both of them were willingly working with the Organization. 

Naminé couldn’t help but to empathize with them. Roxas and Xion were like her, never truly meant to exist and yet they all did. They had their own lives, their own relationships, and their own feelings that were completely independent of the souls that inadvertently had a hand in their creation. In the end, Namine had gotten lucky in that Xion had willingly made the choice to rejoin with Sora. 

Roxas...Roxas was far more complicated to contend with. Roxas wasn’t willing and simply wanted the right to exist. Roxas wouldn’t go down without a fight and he was so formidable that Riku had to fully embrace the darkness inside him in order to gain the power he needed to capture him. Naminé understood how Roxas felt given how complicated her own feelings were toward her own other half, but once again, she found herself wiping memories and shaping Roxas’ in a way that would make it easier to manipulate him into rejoining with Sora. Like it or not, it was necessary for Roxas to rejoin with Sora because it simply wasn’t possible for Naminé to complete Sora’s memories without the other half of his heart that beat inside of Roxas.

That certainly didn’t mean that Naminé enjoyed using these powers again and she couldn’t help feeling like the witch everyone said that she was. She was tired of hurting people, so that’s why she reached out and forged a connection to Roxas despite Diz’s orders. Naminé knew that it wasn’t easy for Roxas to learn that his entire life as he remembered it was a lie. Naminé had wiped out nearly everything that made Roxas his own person. His friendships, his connections to the Organization, everything was stolen from him against his will. What she was doing to Roxas was no better than what she had done to Sora and Naminé knew it, but she hoped that reaching out to him would somehow make things better and that perhaps he’d make the decision to rejoin Sora on his own.

  
  


_Yours and mine._

  
  


Naminé’s job was finally completed. Sora was whole again and Kairi was once again the center of Sora’s universe. 

It was terrifying to learn that after all was said and done that Diz had wanted to destroy her, but thankfully Riku went against Diz’s orders and allowed Naminé to escape with Axel of all people. It was strange being around Axel again. In many ways Axel was still the callous man she’d known from Castle Oblivion, but in other ways it was almost like he was a completely different person. In fact, he was surprisingly protective of Naminé in a way that even Axel didn’t seem to completely understand.

Regardless of the cause of Axel’s newfound ability for kindness, Naminé was grateful for it. Axel found a safe place for them to lie low in a place called Traverse Town. He told Naminé that this world wasn’t on the Organization’s agenda and that it was a good place to stay until the heat had died down. Then, once they were settled with a place to stay, Axel taught Naminé how to access the dark corridors so that she would be able to escape quickly if she ever needed to. Axel stayed with her for a week, ensuring that Naminé had mastered the ability to open a portal and that she had everything that she needed before he headed off to attend to some unfinished business.

Alone with only her memories and thoughts to keep her company, Naminé reflected on all that she had learned and experienced since her creation. Her powers were dangerous, and Naminé was determined to never use them again. She had hurt far too many people that she cared about...Sora, Roxas, Riku, and all of that hurt had come in a chain reaction stemming from a single bitter thought that had dawned with her creation. She was jealous and resentful of Kairi.

With nothing else to do, Naminé thought about it. Her feelings about her other were complicated. Kairi had never done anything specifically to harm Naminé, and wasn’t even aware of her existence. It wasn’t Kairi’s fault that Naminé couldn’t truly and fully exist. Naminé coveted Kairi’s relationships with Sora and Riku, but it wasn’t Kairi’s fault that Naminé felt the pain of Sora and Riku’s absence deep in her own heart. Naminé had done so many horrible things and she didn’t feel like she deserved the forgiveness that Sora and Riku had offered to her for her part in all of this mess. She wanted to be deserving of their friendships in her own right and on some level...she wanted to get to know Kairi as well. 

Her thoughts lingered on Roxas. Despite his unwillingness, he was fully and completely integrated with Sora now. Perhaps, in the end it was for the best. Nobodies weren’t meant to exist as they did, and perhaps, if Naminé rejoined Kairi, the relationships she so desperately wanted with Sora and Riku could be experienced through her. The more she thought about it, the more Naminé felt it was a fitting penance in a way...she had stolen Roxas’ life in order to make Sora whole again. Perhaps it was time for Naminé to return to where she belonged.

Time passed slowly and quickly at the same time as Naminé lost herself in those thoughts, until the sudden and frantic arrival of Axel shattered her long contemplation. He looked like a mess, and his eyes were wild and unfocused as he confessed to Naminé that he tried to get Roxas back and in doing so he had royally messed up. Axel told her he was going to try and help Sora, and when he asked if she could access a portal to help Kairi, Naminé quickly agreed.

Events had finally come full circle and it was time for Naminé to come to terms with her other half. Opening the portal, Naminé, reached out to Kairi, the girl she had been envious of for so long, simply because she was lucky enough to exist fully and truly. They weren’t the same, but they weren’t so different in the end. Naminé had found her strength...found her purpose and knew it was almost time for her to join back with Kairi and for her to cease to exist as herself. 

Peering out the dark corridor that she had opened into a cell in the Organization’s stronghold, Naminé found herself face to face with Kairi for the very first time. Frantically she whispered, “This way!”

Kairi was clearly frightened and unsure as she asked, “Who...?”

“Believe in yourself,” Naminé urged. “Come on hurry!”

Slowly, Kairi stepped forward, took Naminé’s offered hand, and the moment their hands touched Naminé felt a warm glow echo throughout her entire being.

In a strange way, it felt like coming home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated, so please let me know if you enjoyed the story. :)


End file.
